An international student hesitate between Charlotte,NC and Corvilles,OR (Portland: credit, home)

[unknown-man]

Hi guys
i am an international student
i will come in Augest to the US to take the Bachlor degree in Accounting
and so far i am hesitate between
University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Oregon State University
i don't know which one is better as a city and university.
so please guys could tell me which one should i go to and why ???
and could you give me details about each city please
best wishes:
unkown-man

[Bendite]

Hello, Unknown-Man

Wow, you are looking at two very, very different places. I can't really compare the schools - I think the campus populations are about the same size, but I don't know which is better academically. Charlotte is the 20th largest city in the United States with a population of 630,5000 in the city itself and about 1.5million in the surrounding areas. It's the 5th largest city on the East Coast. Corvallis is a town of about 50,000 people (likewise, Oregon's population is less than half of North Carolina's). So, you are looking at a very large city experience versus a small town atmosphere. Charlotte has very hot and humid weather in the summer but the winters are a bit warmer than Corvallis on average. That being said, they do get the occassional ice storm and hurricane in North Carolina. Corvallis' weather is less extreme and less humid than Charlotte. Annual precipitation is about the same for each place. Charlotte will have a much more diversified population than Corvallis. The Southern states are very different culturally than the Northwest states. I think you would find the Northwest to be slower paced, friendlier, less prejudiced and less conservative. I hope this helps you a bit

[karlsch]

UNC Charlotte is a newer university and more urban. Oregon State is older and more established.

If you want what many people would consider a traditional university experience, choose Oregon State. If you just want to get a degree then Charlotte would be fine.

Overall, Oregon State is probably higher rated academically, but I don't know which school rates highest for accounting. If I remember correctly, the highest ranked public university for accounting is the University of Illinois in Urbana.

[unknown-man]

hi
thanks guys very much for the precious information
Karlsch i am not wooried about the job
i got a scholarship from Saudi Aramco Oil Company
i will work for it after i graduate so the university itself wont effect my career
i am a sociable friendly guy i like to hang out
i think college town is bit boring i don't like to study all the time
oh i forgot to ask you about the maximum number of students in a class
i have been told that sometimes in the US some classes have more than 200 students !
so how can i understand with that huge number
the biggest number of classmates i had was 30 students last year when i was in high school
best wishes:
unknown-man

[Bendite]

I copied the following from a Q&A about OSU:

Large lecture halls often seat 300 students. A student, however, would not have all classes in a 300-person lecture hall. Lecture classes typically allow for personalization through labs and small group sessions, called recitations, which tend to be about 20 students in size. Only 17% of our classes have over 100 students in them. Also, the further a student moves into his/her major, the smaller the classes tend to be.

The same is likely true for all public universities in the U.S. And, nearly all high school students will be in the same boat as you - being used to a classroom size of 30 students and then sitting in a lecture hall with 300 is at first daunting. You will have a disadvantage with English as a second language, but you should be able to record the lectures if need be.

As for liking to lay back - there is so much to do in Oregon if you like the outdoors. The ocean is not a long drive from Corvallis; there is hiking, biking, golf, the occasional festival; skiing in the winter is not far away. There are coffee shops, community theaters, sports - there's plenty in and around Corvallis and Portland is not far.

[Nell Plotts]

Let's focus on accounting as a major, not after school activities.

As a profession accountants need to have audit hours and pass an exam to be licenced. OK, so far. Few, however, want to spend their lives in public accounting. Most desire to work in business or government. I think you should look at each school's professional relationships.

Look at which public accounting firms recruit at each school and find out if they have a presence in your home country. Then look at the audit clients they have in the community you hope to live in.

Example: my daughter was a finance major, hired by one of the big 6 public accounting firms in an office with a high-tech client base. After several years she was controller at a VC, soon to be their CFO. She probably wouldn't have had that opportunity if she hadn't worked in that office of the public accounting ... notice I didn't say firm. That firm audits many Fortune 500 companies, some who work in Detroit only work the auto industry.

My $0.02: As much as I love Oregon, if you were my kid with those two choices I would tell you to choose Charlotte because of the potential for developing more professional contacts. Charlotte is the US banking center and is nearby a research triangle with the potential for start-up companies.

I just noticed that you may the Saudi.. your region of the world is accumulating a lot of cash. Exposure to US Banks may serve you well. You have a different retail lending system which, while really strange to us, may be wiser. Best of luck to you.

[karlsch]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

Let's focus on accounting as a major, not after school activities.

As a profession accountants need to have audit hours and pass an exam to be licenced. OK, so far. Few, however, want to spend their lives in public accounting. Most desire to work in business or government. I think you should look at each school's professional relationships.

If you read his posts you will find that he already has a job with the Saudi Aramco Oil Company.

[Nell Plotts]

I missed that, but I hate to think he would box himself in career-wise to an internal accounting job and not get his CPA certificate. It may be that he must work there for X years to, in effect, pay off his scholarship (not unlike the leashes on employees who earn their MBAs through the largess of their employer).

College is a time to build professional relationships, not just book credits.

[unknown-man]

Noll Plotts
thanks very much for the usefel advices
frist , as karlsch told you i already got the job after i graduate from high school to
the Saudi Aramco Oil Company is considered as a public sector at home. i got a scholarship from it so i have to work for it at least 5 years that was a condition before i got the scholarship.
i admit it is an oil company so it is not the perfect place for you as an accountant to work for
however, it deals with a lot of international firms so you would be excpert with the international systems.
after i visited my department the VP of my department emphisized so many times on the importnace of getting the CPA , CMA and CIA after graduating and working for few years .
and maybe i can get the MBA if i took my Bacholar degree with a high GPA.
oh i forgot to ask you guys about my writing if it is ok for college level i know that i will have to write a lot at college.
best wishes:
unknown-man

[Nell Plotts]

The advantage of a field such as accounting is that there is little English composition required. Hey, I am a native speaker and struggled with composition in college. Some have told me that this is because my skill set was in physics and mathematics (right brain vs left brain thinking). When my children were young we were a host family for two Japanese college students. It is my observation that college students who don't speak English as their mother tongue should enroll in an English as a second language class for at least their Freshman year.

IMHO you have command of English adequate for your major. I think you should allow yourself time to develop this skill in your Freshman year.

When I started college leading edge number theory monographs were published in German. I didn't speak that language but reading it was a slam dunk. There are fields where the 'language' is universal.

Give yourself some time to absorb English. It will be tough, but don't hang out with Arabic speakers until you dream in English.

Speaking as a Mom here, sit back and watch your classmates for at least a year. Young men separated from family, around the world, drink to much, drive too fast, and chase girls. For probably the first time in your life you will not be accountable to your family for how you spent your day. Youth, particularly the smart good kids, test the unknown when first away from home. My nephew who is an 'individual contributor' at MicroSoft managed to get himself on academic probation during his freshman year as a result of trying out new things. He regained his footing because he discovered that partying wasn't all that interesting. I wish you the best in both school and life.